Fort Worth daily gazette. (Fort Worth, Tex.) 1882-1891, 1887-05-20
Grapevine.

|
"Of course all these turns are notacute
angles, and, from an off-hand drawing, it
is impossible to make the distances geo.
graphically accurate, but the outline ap-
| prOXimstes precision sufficiently to give
q not intolerable idea of the general char
acter of the road. 1t is just nineteen
miles from Fort Worth to Grapevine on
! the proposed straight road, and as the
road now winds the distance is twenty
seven miles. This is a sample of the
| other roads. The road to Decatur has
not so many abrupt turns, but there are
! two or three enormous Emergencies
around pastures and through lanes which
/ stretches to fOrty-tWo or three miles
road which should be only thirty-tve.
| Then, there is the road to Cleburne,
which is thirty-three miles, and should be
twentY-eight, and others | could name.
The Mansfield and Arlington roads are
comparatively straight, but could be i'm
proved. The road to Keller, which is
seventeen miles, should be Strengthened
and shortened TO thirteen and One-half
miles, and so on"
Reporter-"Is any effort being made to
have these roads Strengthened and i'm
proyed?"
Said Colonel Chambers eyes, sir; the
present commissioners on the Grandview
straight road, Messrs. Walker, BRAY,
Clark, Williamson, CurTie and others,
have been faithfully at work on the pro-
posed new road and are meeting with
moderate success. These gentlemen have
taken this matter in hand and are pushing
il through. They certainly are deserving
of the confidence and esteem of the
whole public for their disinter-
ested labor. Little can be &C
complished at present, however, for lack
of FUNDS. The preliminary work of sur
veving and obtaining right of way can
be completed, and after this year there
will be an ample fund in the treasury to
do the work of grading and building.
You see, one road and bridge fund has
been expended in paying Of certain bonds
and the county could not get to use it,
The King Bridge Company agreed to
take the proceeds arising from fines and
forfeitures in their original contract and
with this understanding bonds were is
sued. Later, ia 1888, when the constitu-
tional amendment was adopted authoriz-
ing tax of Is cents on the 500, to be
levied for road and bridge purposes, the
King Bridge Company, some way or
other, were allowed to surrender their
old bonds and accept new ones. These
new bonds not only took up the fund aris-
ing from fines and forfeitures-about
SO, OOO-but also the fund raised by the
new tax for roads and bridges, amount
ing to about SIS, 900. Thus, out of all
her taxes, the county had not dollar for
her own use. These bonds will be
paid of this year, after which both
funds will be available. Twenty eight
thousand dollars year will soon give
Tarrant county good roads all over the
county.
Raporter-"We cannot look for any
considerable Improvement in our roads
until after the present Year,"
Said Colonel Chambers-"Well, moth
ing very considerable. People are 10th
to eXpend time and money on the worm
fence roads as they are now-lisble to be
changed any moment. When the roads |
are Strengthened and located permanent |
ly 1t will be different. Every days labor
placed upon road then, is put there to
stay and will be of permanent value. |
People are fully alive to the necessities |
of good roads. Think OF it! How great !
q distance will ten teams g day travel |
over crooked road in month more
than is actually necessary on a straight |
time, money, motive power and the wear
and tear of wagons and vehicles lost |
besides the fact that these crooked roads, |
being temporary, are never kept in first |
class condition. Why, the citizens along |
the line of the Granbury road, Messrs. |
Went Patterson, John Burford and others
are now asking the county to give them |
a bridge higher up on Clear Fork, for the
purpose of Strengthening their road. |
They mean to take out down at the foot |
of Lamar street, on the Texas and Pacific, |
and, if the county gives them the bridge |
desired, they propose to straighten and |
grade the road to Benbrook! They will |
do this out of their own pockets and, with |
their own hands, because they realize the !
necessity of it. l think Fort Worth |
should encourage and assist them in this !
enterprise in 8 substantial manner"
Reporter-"Will the road commission |
ers encounter much difficulty in securing |
right of way for the system of contem- |
plated straight roads, think your"
Said Colonel Chambers-"I think not. |
l apprehend no difficulty outside of the |
expense of purchasing the ground. Many |
of our citizens will give the county right |